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>> Monday, February 21, 2011

Yesterday I watched the Daytona 500; 43 cars, 500 miles, at a track where the race has occurred for 53 years. Many of the drivers have driven on that track for years; therefore, they knew it well. But this year, things were different. The track was newly paved and the cars had been re-configured, which resulted in a totally new way of running the race. Drivers who found a dancing partner could go 10 mph faster than a single car.

I listened to Darrell Waltrip, a winner of the Daytona 500, who had driven on that track many times, as he described what was happening to the veteran drivers. They had to adjust to a whole new way of driving.

But there was a rookie in the mix. Trevor Bayne had never been in that race before. Saturday had been his birthday and he just turned 20. He had no pre-conceived ideas of how the race should go. He did not have to un-learn anything.

He won the race … the youngest driver to ever win it. It was inspiring to hear him pray with his crew before the race and to give God the glory when he won.

I thought of some of the churches I’ve been in. They are settled in their routine of how they “do” church. A new person comes in and the church immediately begins telling the new attendee how church works. Sometimes the young Christian accepts the teachings as fact, letting their new found enthusiasm be drained away by the rules and regulations of “doing it right.”

But some are like Trevor Bayne. They turn to God for guidance. As they travel in new territory, they keep their eyes focused on the goal … winning the race.

As we listened to Trevor from his in-car audio, his excitement was contagious. That’s the kind of Christ follower I desire to be … contagious in my love for Him.